Cigarette turning device



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Filed Dec. 2, 1948 INVENTOR Rum C [MW/515! BY F k mp6) ATTORNEY 531 w, 1950 R. c. WHEELEY 2,509,752

CIGARETTE TURNING DEVICE Filed Bed. 2, 194a XNVENTOR Rum C. WHEEL EV ATTORNEY 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented May 30, 1950 CIGARETTE TURNING DEVICE Rudy C. Wheeley, Durham, N. 0., assignor to The American Tobacco Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 2, 1948, Serial No. 63,008

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of cigarettes and more particularly to improvements in cigarette making machines employed in the manufacture of tipped cigarettes.

In the manufacture of cigarettes, tobacco is delivered in uniform amounts from a tobacco feeder to a cigarettes making machine. The tobacco so fed is passed through a tubular member, the cigarette paper placed around it and sealed and the product then cut to a predetermined lengh to produce cigarettes. The completed cigarettes at the outlet of the cigarette making machine are fed across the front of the machine on a belt where they are inspected and placed in containers to be carried to the packaging machines.

In the manufacture of tipped cigarettes, the tipping material of double the size of the tip is placed on the cigarette before severing at intervals equal to the length of two cigarettes. The cigarette is then severed both at a point intermediate of adjacent sections of the tipping material and in the middle of each section of the tipping material. As a result, the tipped cigarettes are delivered from the cigarette making machine with alternate cigarettes reversed, that is, the tip on one cigarette is at the forward end and the tip on the next cigarette is at the rear end. Heretofore it has been the practice to provide two transverse belts to deliver the cigarettes across the front of the machine for inspection. Suitable means are provided for feeding each alternate cigarette to the inner belt and the next cigarette is fed to the outer belt. This results in the cigarettes traveling along the transverse belts to the operator or inspector in reversed positions. In removing the cigarettes, it is thus necessary for the operator to reverse those taken from one of the belts before placing them in the container so that the cigarettes will be delivered to the packaging machine with the tubes of all of the cigarettes at the same end.

In the present invention I provide means for turning the cigarettes delivered to one of the transverse belts so that all of the cigarettes pass the operator with the tips in the same relative position thereby avoiding the necessity of turning the cigarettes taken from one of the belts. The cigarettes delivered from the cigarette making machine are fed alternately to two transverse belts as heretofore. One of the belts extends to the adjacent edge of the table and the cigarettes traveling on this belt come to rest on the table adjacent one side. The other belt extends across the table and delivers the cigarettes to a turn table which carries them through an arc of 180. From that point another belt conveys these cigarettes to the side of the table opposite from the side where the alternate cigarettes have been delivered. In passing around the turn tab-1e the position of the tips has been reversed. The operator thus has two supplies of cigarettes delivered at opposite sides of the table with the tips arranged in the same relative position. It is therefore unnecessary for the operator to reverse any of the cigarettes before placing them in the container in which they are carried to the packaging machines.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showmg:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the table at the front of a cigarette making machine showing the invention applied;

Fig. 2 is a detailed, vertical, sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse, vertical, sectional View on line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detailed, vertical, sectional View on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral I designates a table at the front of a cigarette making machine to which the cigarettes are delivered. An operator stands at the front edge of the table indicated by the reference numeral 2, removes the cigarettes from the table, inspects them, and places them in a container (not shown) in which they are carried to the packaging machines. At one side of the table a belt 3 carries the cigarettes from the tube of the cigarette making machine and the cutter (not shown) to the table. This belt travels over a roller 4 at the front of the table and over an other roller (not shown) at a point adjacent the cutter. The roller 4 is mounted on a shaft 5 and may be driven by a chain passing over a sprocket 5. When tipped cigarettes are being made and are fed along the belt 3 with their tips reversed, means are provided for delivering alternate cigarettes to a rear pair of belts and a front pair of belts so that all of the cigarettes delivered to each belt will have their tips pointing in the same direction. One means commonly employed consists of a hub 7 (see Fig. 2) which is mounted on shaft 8 and driven by a. chain passing over a sprocket 9. This hub is provided with a plurality of paddles it] which pass over the belt 3 transversely and remove a cigarette from the belt 3. One of these removing devices is arranged adjacent the rear of the table in alignment with a pair of belts I l which are spaced from each other a distance slightly less than the length of the cigarette and the second is arranged in alignment with a pair of similar belts I2 toward the front of the machine (see Fig. 1). The speed of rotation of the shaft 8 is such that one of the blades ID will pass over this pair of belts as each alternate cigarette passes so that one cigarette will be delivered to the belts II and the next cigarette to the belts I2. As shown, tips T of the cigarettes will be inreversed positions.

Belts I I and I2 pass over rollers I3 on a shaft I4 at the end of the machine and over rollers I 5 on a shaft I6 adjacent the side of the table. Shaft I6 may be driven by a belt (not shown) passing over a pulley I? on the shaft. The cigarettes traveling over the pair of belts I2 are deposited at the right hand side of the table 2 near the front where they may be readily picked up by the operator. Adjacent the rear the table is provided with a pair of slots for a pair of belts I8 which are substantially in alignment with the belts I I. These belts pass over pulleys I9 on the shaft I6 and over pulleys on a shaft 2I at the opposite side of the table. .Guides I8 may be arranged substantially parallel to the belts l8, if desired.

When the cigarettes traveling along the belts I8 reach the far end, they pass to .a turn table mechanism shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. As shown, I provide a central disc22 having anupstanding peripheral flange 23 on one edge of which the cigarette rests. Concentric with this flange I provide a belt 24 which extends vertically. The belt is guided in the concentricpath on its operative flight'by a plurality of rollers 25. These rollers (see Fig. 4) are rotatably mounted on pins 26 and are providedwith flanges 21 to retainthe belt in position. Adjacent the end of the belts I8 and at the beginning of its operative flight, the belt 24 passes over a larger drive roll 28. .Adjacent the end of its operative flight itpasses over a similar roll 29. On its return flight,,it is guided by a plurality of idler rolls 3B.

Adjacent the roll 29 I provide a pair of belts 31. These belts pass over rollers 32 on shaft 2I' and also over rollers 33 loosely mounted on a stationary shaft 34. Shaft 34 is arranged at the edge of the table 2 as shown.

The various rotating parts of the turn table may be driven in any suitable manner. By way of illustration, the disc 22 on shaft 35 is supported in, a bearing 36. This shaft is provided with a bevel gear 31 meshing with bevel gear .38. Bevel gear 38 .is .mountedon a'shaft 39 which may be driven in any suitable manner as by a belt (not shown) passing over pulley 40 mounted on the shaft.

A guideAI may be arranged adjacent the operativeflight of the belt 24 anda similar guide 42 may be arranged adjacent the disc 22. A. guide 43 mayalso extend along the table inthe rear of the place where the cigarettes are deposited on the side of the table from the belts 3 I. 4

In operation, the cigarettes are fed from the cutter of the cigarette making machine over belt 3. As each alternate cigarette reaches the discharge device I in alignment with the pair of belts I I, it is moved on to this pairof belts. The next cigarette passes to the discharge device in alignment with the belts 12 and is delivered on to-this pair of belts. It will be noted (see Fig. 1) that the tip of the cigarette on'the belt I I points toward the front or the outer edge of the table and the tip of the cigarette on the belts I2 points in the .opposie direction. Cigarettes from the belts I2pass on to the table I and are taken from the table and placed in the container (not shown) byv the operator in the usual manner. Cigarettes from the belts I! pass on to the belts I8 and thence entirely across the table. At the opposite end of the table the cigarettes are received on the turn table consisting of the flange of disc 22 and the upper edge of the belt 24 (see Fig. 3). The cigarettes pass around the turn table and thus the position of the tipped end is reversed. At the point 180 from where the cigarettes are fed to the turn table, they pass on to the belts 3I. The belts 3| feed them to the opposite side of the table I from the point where the cigarettes from the belts I2 are fed but with their tips extending in the same direction. The operator thus picks up the cigarettes from either side of the table as they accumulate and places them in the container.

I claim:

1. A. cigarette turning device comprising two parallel sets of belts to which cigarettes are delivered, a table in alignment with the path .of the belts, one set ofbelts.terminating-atthe ad jacent side of thetable to deliver cigarettes to the adjacent side-of the table, the second-set of belts extending across the table, and a turntable device adjacent the otherside ofthe table to receive the cigarettes from the second set of belts and deliver them to the second side of the table in a reversed position.

.2. A cigarette turning device comprising two parallel sets of belts to which cigarettes are delivered; a table in alignment with the path of the belts, one setof belts terminatingat the ad jacent side of the table todelivercigarettes to the adjacent side of the table, the secondset of beltsextendingacross the table, and arotating disc adjacent the other side of the table to which the oigarettesare delivered from the second set of belts, the disc conveyingthe cigarettes through an arc of substantially 180,reversing theirpositionsand delivering then to the second side of the table.

3; A cigarette turning-device comprising two sets of belts to which cigarette are delivereda table, one set-of belts terminating at the adjacent side of the table,-the second set of belts extending across the table, and a turntable device to receive the cigarettes from the second set of belts and deliver them to the opposite edge of the table ina reversedposition, the turntable device comprising a central disc and a belt spaced from the edge of the disc and traveling in a path concentric to the edge of the disc.

41. A cigarette turning device comprising two setsof belts to which cigarettes are delivered,.a table, one set of belts terminating at the'adjacent sideoi the table, the second set of belts! extending across the table, and a turntable device to receive the cigarettes from the second set of belts and deliver-themto-the opposite edge of the table in a reversed position, the turntable device comprising. a central disc, a series of rollers spaced from the edge of the disc concentric thereto, and. a belt arranged in a vertical plane and. traveling over the rollers.

RUDY C. VVHEELEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file'of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 4 Date 1,962,745 Larsen June 12, 1934 1,988,518 Rundell Jan. 22, 1935 

